Foxwoods fetes its 20th anniversary

Monique Sebastian, executive director of entertainment at Foxwoods Resort Casino, puts it this way: "We're celebrating 20 years, and I think that's a major accomplishment. So we want everybody to feel the energy we're feeling."

How they're doing that: with "The Platinum Party" on Friday at MGM Grand Premier Ballroom.

Hosting will be Diddy. Besides being a music mogul, he's known for elaborate, over-the-top parties and, in fact, just hosted one at the Playboy Mansion after the Grammys.

The scene at Foxwoods promises aeralists spinning above the crowd and two DJs pumping out all varieties of music, from house to reggae to top 40. Rapper Jim Jones and his fiancÚ Chrissy Lampkin, of VH1's "Love and Hip Hop," will be hanging out.

Keeping with the platinum theme, four go-go dancers will be bodypainted silver.

Folks in the crowd (a max of 3,000 people can attend) might get to win one of the giveaways - tickets to the April 13 Cee Lo Green concert, among them.

Sebastian spoke last week about the whole shebang.

How Foxwoods decided to stage a party to mark its 20th year:

"There were a lot of ideas going around, but we wanted to do something that was cool and hip and fun and open to the general public. We said, 'Why not have one of the biggest parties that this area has ever seen? What better way to do it than with the party king himself, Diddy?'"

Diddy has been at Foxwoods before and helped open MGM Grand at Foxwoods in 2008:

"He did two parties for us, and we had to turn people away from Shrine the last time he came. So that's why we said, 'You know what? We'd better do it in the ballroom. Let's make it as big as we can.'"

How much will the general public get to mingle with the celebs?

"When Diddy was here the first time, he stayed in his VIP area and went into the DJ booth. The second time he was here in '08, he actually got on the bar and started passing people shots. So it's totally up to him ... But you'll definitely see him. He's in a great place in the room where everybody will be able to see him. He'll definitely get on the microphone."

About the dress code:

"It's dress to impress: no sneakers, no jeans, no athletic apparel, no hats. ... It's a very elegant, upscale evening."

Comparing how this party stacks up against other big events Foxwoods has staged:

"I think we now are at a peak, to where we've gained 20 years, and now let's really show the Northeast what we can do. Along with the new ad campaign that just got released, as well as the shops coming this spring, we're looking at stepping it up a notch. The party is just a small piece to the master puzzle that we have here for Foxwoods."